Civil Dawn
by Nathan Fraust
Summary: "It is up to us to live up to the legacy that was left for us, and to leave a legacy that is worthy of our children and of future generations."- Christine Gregoire "Journey to the Frozen Heart"/"coNTROL" Interlude: Cole and Lucy deal with the fallout of her time in Torment, then raise and train Kimiko, their daughter.


**Author's Note: For those of you who haven't read my profile yet (which you should do NOW), I have struck up a deal with T2 Angel to crossover his amazing Kuole story, _Journey for the Frozen Heart_ ,with _coNTROL_ and its two sequels. _Civil Dawn_ , which is simultaneously set both five years after ****_Journey_ and back in time around 1865-1870, ****serves as the interlude to those two stories. Enjoy!**

 **A/N #2: In the five years since _Journey_ happened, Cole has not only discovered his ability to turn back time, but has expanded his control over it. Thus, he can freely move anywhere in time and space, forwards and backwards, and can transport people individually or with himself through the time/space continuum.**

Kaisetsu

The mountain air prickled his throat, driving needles into his moist lungs. He grunted, feeling the numbing sensation of sparks running across his body. They were the only source of warmth up here, on the summit of Hōrai.

Raijin drew in another breath through his nose, feeling the vast sea of light around him shift and bend as he did so, like a reed after a ripple in the water. He opened his eyes, amber irises vanishing with a flicker of lightning and the crack of thunder to be replaced by sparking blue pools that were as cold as ice.

Raijin gazed out over the land that stretched before him for miles before ending in an abrupt cliff. As his eyes alighted on the place he was seeking, he noticed a small convoy making its way west towards the location, quickly noting their numbers and their cargo.

He sighed. _Well,_ he muttered to himself, _better get back to reality._

回折

 _December 1865,_ _Bōsō Peninsula, Japan_

Cole roused himself from his meditative state, opening his eyes, only to shut them just as quickly as rays of splintered bluish-green sunlight glared down at him. His chest was heaving, heart pumping like a jackhammer, and he drew in sharp, shaky breaths.

"Gotta remember to leave sooner next time," he said to the empty air. Hearing the usual silence, Cole sighed again, then started to unfold himself from his convoluted state, groaning as his joints crackled and popped.

Cole rose, arching his back and pulling back his arms as he did so, and glanced at the two rectangular pieces of cloth that flapped loosely against the wall in the ocean breeze. Turning to them, he first saluted, then bowed. The crimson-ivory stripes did not respond.

He turned back around to see Lucy leaning against the _shoji_ to the prayer room, arms crossed over her slowly-expanding abdomen, pale skin complemented by a silvery-blue kimono, and one side of her lip upturned. He hobbled over to her, legs coming awake after what felt like hours of sitting, and kissed her lightly on the forehead, then on the nose, and finally on her cool lips. She grunted in mock protest as he pulled away a heartbeat later. "What was that for?"

"Being here, with me," he said simply. "And for this." He bent down again and pressed his face to the exposed skin of her belly, the clean, sweet scent of honey and cherry blossoms filling his nostrils. He stuck his tongue out and licked at her navel, earning a yelp from her. "Cole! Don't do that!"

"What?" he asked with mock innocence, coming back up with a mischievous grin on his face. "I'm just living up to my namesake."

Lucy sighed, closing her eyes and tilting her head back. "God… you're worse than Zeke."

"Heh… Jedediah…"

"What?"

"Nothing."

Lucy whapped her husband lightly on the back of the head. "Shush, then, if you won't tell me."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now come on, the tea's starting to get cold."

回折

Cole stared at himself in the gleaming bronze of the mirror. He scratched at his stubbly chin, feeling the auburn strands protest his motions, before handing the mirror to Daichi. "Thank you for the information regarding the caravan, Daichi. Send Ayame-san my regards."

Daichi bowed slightly, turned to Lucy and repeated the gesture, then turned and left the _kamado_.

Cole turned his head towards Lucy to find her looking out the window, watching the soft snow fall. She was as still as stone; even the _hojicha_ tea she had prepared with Daichi's help didn't ripple.

"Lucy?"

No response.

He crouched, reached out, and grasped her shoulder.

She startled, dropping the tea, which only sloshed a little before freezing over entirely. The simple black and gold-striped _chawan_ rolled around on the _tatami_ floor, coming to a stop slowly.

Lucy shuddered violently for a moment and wrenched out of Cole's grasp, eyes downcast and fixed on the bowl.

"Lucy?" Cole's eyebrows furrowed, and he reached out for her again. She shied away, wrapping her arms around herself.

Cole couldn't understand what was wrong, but in seeing how Lucy reacted to his previous approach, he decided to try a different tactic. Sitting down across from her, he asked, "What happened?"

She froze for another moment before sucking in a deep, shuddering breath through her teeth. She opened her mouth, then closed it. Opened it, closed it. Finally, she whispered, soft as a breath, "Dante was almost right."

Cole closed his eyes and bowed his head for a few moments, deep in prayer. When he looked up, he saw his wife staring at him with a strange light in her eyes.

"I'm sorry for not bringing it up sooner," he said quietly. "I just couldn't stand to see you that helpless again." Hesitantly, he reached out a hand, covering about half of the distance between them.

She drew in another breath, then grasped his hand tightly. Her hand was colder than usual, like liquid hydrogen instead of hypothermia. "No, I'm... I'm glad you didn't. I needed some time to deal with it myself." She gave him a faint smile, eyes glistening with crystals. "But, I… I think I'm ready to talk about it now."

"Take your time."

Lucy breathed in one last time, then began.

回折

Cole held Lucy close, comforting her as she wept into his _nagajuban_. In his mind, he marveled over what she had confided to him. According to what she had seen, Torment was indeed separated into the traditional nine circles of suffering described by Dante in the _Divine Comedy_ , but unlike his descriptions, each circle, or _realm_ , as Lucy was quick to remind herself and him, corresponded to a different religion's ideal of hell, and, in some cases, heaven. For those that didn't have a specific religion or simply didn't believe in a higher power at all, they were confined to the first realm, Limbo.

"Everyone's individual experience in Torment is different," she told Cole. "According to what you've done in your life, your torment will be tailored to you specifically."

This, along with other aspects of Torment that Lucy told him about, was clearly difficult for her to recall. She had had only a few minutes to observe her surroundings before spending what had felt like an eternity inside the ice pillar in a secluded space between the second and fourth rounds of the Ninth Realm, where Cole and Nix had found her.

"It was…" She shuddered in his arms. "It was so _cold_. Even Satan commented on it, and he'd been the one assigned to oversee my punishment." She chuckled darkly, the noise muffled by the cloth. "Y'know, he's not all that fiery. Sure, he could choose to portray himself as such, but in the flesh, he looks more like a giant slate statue that's half-encased in ice, albeit moving and with three differently-colored heads."

Cole could imagine.

She drew in a shaky breath, wiped at her eyes, then smiled up at her husband. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He gazed down at her for a moment, then gave a sad smile. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"Well, aside from saving me from eternal damnation?" Lucy drew close and kissed him on the lips.

"You gave me a family," she whispered against his mouth, "and a reason to live."

Cole hugged her tighter, careful to not overdo it. "Y'know, those days you were-" He swallowed thickly as a sob rose up in his throat, eyes fixed on an obscure detail on the _shōji_. "The days you were _gone_ , I- I was so _angry_. But more than that, I was _terrified_. I felt as though I'd lost everything all over again. I couldn't stop looking for you, didn't stop to sleep, didn't eat. Zeke tried his best, but I pushed myself more. I don't think I'd fully realized it then, but I needed you there by me. You were my better half, and I-"

He stopped his rambling as a light snore sounded from his chest. He glanced down to find Lucy resting her head on his chest, mouth open and exhaling tiny snowflakes.

"I love you," Cole whispered, kissing her hair.

回折

 _June 1866_

Cole held the bundle of cloth gently, careful not to wake the sleeping baby as he gently rocked back and forth. Lucy, propped up on her elbows, watched them with an exhausted smile on her face. Zeke and Nix stood off to the side, glancing around at the walls of the _sukiya-zukuri_ , at each other, and at the married couple.

"So, um-" Zeke started hesitantly, rubbing his neck.

"Whatchu namin' her?" Nix finished bluntly, though her eyes were shining with tears.

Cole and Lucy looked at each other. Cole smiled.

"Kimiko Amy McGrath." Lucy said.

Kimiko, awakened by the noise around her, let out a sleepy cry, raising her head and kicking her feet lightly. Cole gazed at her for a moment in loving wonder, before slowly handing her over to Lucy.

Kimiko's left hand slipped out of her blanket, grasping at air. The adults smiled at the sight, then Cole gasped as a small rusty coin shot through the air towards Kimiko's hand. The coin slowed slightly as Cole attempted to stop the projectile, and landed safely in his daughter's extended hand.

Kimiko grasped the coin in both hands and burbled in delight, the only sound in the silent room.

"Well, _shit_." Zeke whispered.

 **Author's Note: If you were wondering: yes, Kimiko's power is Magnetism, primarily control over ferromagnetic materials; as she continues to grow in power and skill, she'll gain control over the other spectrums of magnetism. However, she will be unable to achieve electromagnetic powers unless she uses a Power Transfer Device or combines her powers with an Electricity Conduit like her father.**

 **I'll go into more detail about the things I was unable to get to in the next chapter, whenever that comes out.**

 **P.S: I'm half-considering doing a Kuole story covering their adventures in the five years (or so)* between _Journey_ and the start of _Dawn_ ; tell me your opinion in your review.**

 ***- Time-travel**


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